Sounds of Korea

Summer vacation and travels

2017-08-02

The period between July 29th and August 4th is the peak vacation season in Korea. Around this time of year, all popular vacation spots around the country are packed with people. Koreans have become so used to huge crowds at the beaches and mountains that it feels rather strange to go to a vacation spot with only a few people. Although the weather is steaming hot, just thinking about taking a few days off from the daily grind is enough to make anyone smile. Some people say the real fun of traveling is in the planning, because that’s when you can freely imagine all the interesting things you’re going to see and do. It was obviously more difficult to travel far in the old days, but people still dreamed of going on a vacation to somewhere peaceful and beautiful. The Korean traditional song “Paldoyuramga (팔도유람가)”, which means “Travel Song of Eight Provinces,” describes a person’s wish to visit all the famous landmarks in the country in comfort, complete with a band of musicians. Let’s listen to “Paldoyuramga” performed by Shin Kwae-dong (신쾌동) with a geomungo accompaniment.

Music 1: Paldoyuramga/ Sung with geomungo by Shin Kwae-dong

MC: A Korean song entitled “Jukjangmanghye (죽장망혜),” meaning a bamboo staff and straw shoes, describes how a person can travel lightly, without large, heavy luggage. Whether you are traveling in style like in “Paldoyuramga” or traveling light with hardly any luggage like in “Jukjangmanghye,” it was definitely not easy for the people of the old days to just take off. Going on a vacation may be a given for today’s Koreans, but it was a rare opportunity for those living in the Joseon period. So when they came across such a precious chance to travel, they would record every minute of the trip in poems, journals, essays, and even in paintings. One of the most esteemed travel-related works is “Gwandongbyeolgok (관동별곡)” written by the mid-Joseon era poet and scholar Jeong Cheol (정철). The epic poem was written after he toured Mount Kumgang (금강) and eight of the most scenic sites in the eastern part of the Korean Peninsula on his way to serve as the inspector of Gangwon-do Province in 1580. It is considered one of the leading works of Joseon-era literature. It was also reportedly the favorite song of the gisaengs, or female entertainers of the Gwandong region. The original tune is lost now, but a new version has been composed by Baek Dae-woong. Here’s “New Gwandongbyeolgok” (신관동별곡) by gayageum player Kim Hae-sook and a string quartet.

Music 2: New Gwandongbyeolgok / Performed by gayageum player Kim Hae-sook and a string quartet

MC: The favorite travel destination of Joseon-era Koreans was none other than Mount Kumgang, which is in present day North Korea. There once was a severe famine in Jeju Island during the reign of King Jeongjo (정조). The king sent aid to the island, but the shipment was lost in the storm, leaving the Jeju residents in serious trouble. But one gisaeng came to the rescue by spending her own money to save the locals from starvation. Her name was Kim Man-deok (김만덕). When King Jeongjo praised her for her generosity and asked what her wish was, she replied that she wanted to see Mount Kumgang. So, the king repealed the law that banned the women of Jeju from traveling to the mainland and let her visit the mountain. This heartwarming episode tells how much Koreans wanted to travel to Mount Kumgang. Celebrated Joseon-era painters like Jeong Seon and Kim Hong-do left a number of paintings of the mountain after touring Mount Kumgang. Those who could not travel to the mountain may have enjoyed the scenery vicariously through those paintings. According to the Joseon royal records, even Chinese envoys all put down Mount Kumgang as a must-see place in Joseon. Now Koreans can travel to just about anywhere in the world, but Mount Kumgang is one of the places they are not allowed to visit. Let’s hope that the day will soon come when everyone around the world can see the majestic mountain in person. This week’s Sounds of Korea will conclude with a Gyeonggi-do provincial folk song entitled “Kumgangsan Taryeong (타령)” sung by Lee Chun-hee (이춘희).